Rose, Smith, and Cooper Lead Irish over Salesian, 74-64

In the past, down by six points in the third quarter, Sacred Heart would not have responded as they did. But, then again, this isn’t the past, is it?

Rallying from down by as many as nine points, the Sacred Heart Boys Varsity Basketball Team defeated Salesian High School 74-64 at Sacred Heart Gym on Tuesday afternoon.

Once again, Sacred Heart’s “Big Three” led the way. Senior Guard Alonzo Rose scored a team-high 23 points, while Sean Smith contributed another double-double (points and rebounds) on his way to scoring 21. John Cooper continued his hot shooting from behind the three-point line, sinking five three pointers to contribute 15 points to the Irish’s key conference victory.

The tide began to turn in the second quarter, when Smith, collecting a rebound on the baseline, drove to the hoop for a one-handed jam. From there on, Sacred Heart kept up the pressure, at once point switching from man-to-man defense into a zone, throwing the Salesian offensive sets into disarray.

Sacred Heart also received valuable contributions from Junior Rory Gallagher, whose twisting reverse lay-up in the third quarter brought the Sacred Heart crowd to its feet. A wide-open three pointer buried by Senior Jamison Morales provided an exclamation point as the Irish made key free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.